Friday, May 15, 2015

Recently the owner of the Ottawa Senators has appealed to the public for a liver. It's not enough that the get our tax dollars for their stupid stadiums, apparently, these billionaires need our internal organs as well. In 2010 in Canada 229 peopled died waiting in vain for organs that never arrived. Their deaths, while tragic, were also entirely preventable. The problem is that we don't have a market in organs. In the market economy there are no shortages - the price simply goes up. So why not allow those on dialysis to literally buy a kidney from any one of the millions of people who have a spare one hanging around and not enough cash? And why not allow offer cash incentives for individuals to add their names to the organ donor list? This would immediately increase the supply of organs available for transport, saving countless lives. Purchasing and selling kidney's is already legal in Iran and this model has resulted in an elimination of renal waiting lists while other nations which prohibit the sale and purchase of kidneys have not enjoyed this success.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Even a broken clock is right twice, even a blind squirrel can find a nut, and every once in a very long while the Chavez loving, enviro-nazi sympathizing left wing lunatics at the NDP hit upon a good idea, to wit, the notion that we should remove the GST from tampons and other assorted feminine hygeniene products. More accurately we should simply remove the GST, full stop. There is no such thing as a 'good tax'. Planners who practically salivate over the fact that excise taxes "reduce consumption" (as if they alone knew what was best for every man, woman and child in this country and how they should save or spend their money, despite radically different time preferences, value scales and desired ends for different individuals) fail to recognize that sales taxes are actually imputed back to factors of production. They are, in effect, a tax on income, haphazardly and unfairly applied. While savings is a crucial component of future economic growth it is not the role of economists to instruct people on what their ends should be; an economist can only comment on whether a given means is suitable for attaining a particular ends. Every individual is different, and the decision on whether they should save or consume their income is an entirely unique one to each person.

But while we should certainly remove the GST from all goods and services it's important not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If the political will is not there to help all people equally, then certainly we should join in the efforts of some to help some, lackluster and halfhearted though this drive may be. So bravo to Irene Mathysene and the rest of the womyn in the NDP and bravo to the federal government for agreeing to sign on to this crusade. Presumably the movement will continue onward to agitate for the repeal of taxes on birkenstock sandals, pant suits and patchouli oil. Hallelujah.